Dr. Walter John Suber

Dr. Walter J. Suber

Beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Dr. Walter John Suber, 90, went home to be with Jesus on October 13, 2025, at his home in Summerton, South Carolina.

A memorial service will be held at Cain Calcutt Funeral Home at 512 Second Loop Road, Florence, South Carolina on Friday, October 24, 2025 at 3 p.m. It will be open to the public.

Born in Union, South Carolina, and raised in Spartanburg, Dr. Suber met his high school sweetheart, Patricia (Patty) Coggins, while attending Spartanburg High School. He was a stellar football athlete in both high school and at Gardner-Webb college. They married in 1953. After serving as a United States Marine during the Korean War, he completed his pre-podiatry education at Gardner-Webb and Wofford College, thereafter completing podiatry school in Cleveland, Ohio. The couple then moved to Florence in 1960, where they lived for sixty years, raising three children: Laura Suber McLeod, W. John Suber, M.D., and Cameron Suber.

During the 1960s, Dr. Suber was director of the Florence Junior Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Florence Lion's Club. In 1964, he was recipient of the coveted Jaycees' Distinguished Service Award, being recognized on the front page of the Florence Morning News. Dr. Suber and his family were active in church life since the 1970's, when he made a profession of faith that carried him throughout the rest of his life. There are many in the Florence community and beyond who are recipients of Dr. Suber's humble, quiet generosity of both time and financial resources, for which he always eschewed public attention or acknowledgement.

Dr. Suber's career was notable as one of the early podiatrists in South Carolina and the first one in Florence. He was also the first podiatrist in South Carolina to be accepted as a Fellow in the International College of Foot Surgeons in 1964. In the 1960s and 1970s, he served for many years as president of the South Carolina Podiatric Medical Association. In 1979, governor Richard Riley appointed Dr. Suber to the state Board of Podiatry Examiners. Dr. Suber was an innovator in his field. He designed and implemented a unique minimal-incision surgical technique for the management of heel spurs, successfully treating thousands of patients with this crippling condition across the Southeast.

In 2019, Walter and Patty moved to their lake home on Lake Marion in Summerton, where they were lovingly cared for by their son, Cameron. The home has been a cherished family retreat for more than fifty years.

Dr. Suber dedicated his life to his wife of seventy years, to their family, and to the many thousands of patients he served during his fifty-three-year career as a podiatrist in Florence. He was known as an affable, humble, kind, and servant-minded professional who always went the extra mile. He was respected and beloved by both his patients and hospital staff alike. In both his professional and private life, Dr. Suber was a consistent and living embodiment of Philippians 2:3-4:

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Dr. Suber is survived by their three children, Laura Suber McLeod of Florence, W. John Suber, M.D., of Greenville, and Cameron Suber of Florence; six grandchildren, Hannah, Reagan, Luke, and Ethan Suber, and Etta and Louisa McLeod; and his brother, Dr. James A. Suber, age 93, of Columbia.

He was preceded in death by his parents and by his cherished wife of seventy years, Patty (2023).

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may send a note of remembrance to 1097 Waters Edge Drive, Summerton, SC 29148.

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